Employee Awards to Boost Workplace Engagement & Retention

Build a highly engaged and motivated team through an employee awards program.
Drive better business results by recognising staff efforts and celebrating successes, so that they’re inspired to perform at their best. From employee of the month awards to salesperson of the year trophies, company-wide recognition gets workers to go the extra mile for your organisation. With Gifteo, creating and managing employee awards is simple. Our platform gives you flexible, scalable tools that bring your recognition programme to life. Add even more impact by pairing awards with gift cards or a points-based reward system.

How Employee Awards Drive Business Results

Recognising team members with formal awards can have a measurable impact across your organisation.
Celebrating achievements and milestones helps strengthen culture, increase engagement, and boost motivation.

Boost Engagement and Morale

Public recognition helps employees feel seen and valued.

Increase Retention

Employees who feel appreciated are more likely to stay. According to Deloitte, organisations with strong recognition programmes have 31% lower staff turnover.

Enhance Performance and Company Culture

Awards tied to company values or goals help drive the behaviours that matter most.

Develop an employee recognition program that delivers real results for your business.

Awards Have an Impressive Impact

A well-designed employee awards programme plays a key role in building a positive, high-performing workplace culture.
The act of recognition often carries huge meaning to staff.

Recognition Builds Connection

Awards signal appreciation and acknowledgement – not just from managers and team mates, but from the wider organisation. This boosts morale and employee engagement, creating a positive connection to the company.

Awards Reinforce What Matters

Link awards to company goals – like teamwork or innovation – to reinforce what matters most. Whether it’s creativity, collaboration, or living company values, you’re encouraging alignment and consistency.

Loyalty and Retention

53% of employees say they would stay longer in a company if they feel appreciated. Conversely, staff who don’t feel adequately recognised are twice as likely to quit. Clearly, recognition is a practical tool to improve retention and engagement.

See Them in Action for Yourself

Popular Types of Employee Awards

If you’re keen to incorporate awards into your recognition strategy, then it’s easy to get started.
Think about the types of behaviours, values, or achievements that you want to encourage across the business.
Then create award categories that are designed to promote these aspects.

These award ideas recognise employees who consistently perform at the top of their game.
They can positively impact staff motivation and drive results for your business.

Here are some of the most popular types of employee and staff awards:

Employee of the month or year awards

These recognise outstanding overall performance during a set time period and can be repeated monthly or annually.

Values-based awards

Reward team members who best embody your company’s core values or principles.

Role-specific awards

These are tailored to roles, departments, or functions within an organisation, such as salesperson or customer service representative of the year.

Long service awards

Highlight an employee’s long-term loyalty and commitment to your company.

Outstanding personal contribution awards

Recognise top performing staff who have gone above and beyond with champion awards.

Innovation Awards

Encourage creativity, initiative, and problem-solving with awards designed to recognise specific instances of staff innovation.

Build Your Staff Recognition Strategy With Gifteo

Employees Prefer Gift Cards

Here are the key steps to setting up an employee awards process:

By following these steps, you’ll have a consistent, fair, and engaging employee awards programme.

01.

Define your award criteria

Choose the types of awards you want to offer, such as long service to values-based recognition. Think carefully about the types of achievements and behaviours you want to encourage in your organisation. Then, create clear rules for who is eligible and how to choose winners.

02.

Set up award schedules

Define timings and intervals for your awards – will they be monthly, quarterly, or annual? Set up a system of automated notifications to recognise key milestones like work anniversaries. This will ensure no one misses them. Gifteo can help you streamline this process so it’s handled automatically.

03.

Nominate and approve

Decide who will nominate employees and who will select the winners. Will it be managers, peers, or an awards committee? Communicate the award criteria and submission process widely. Collect nominations using a simple system such as online forms or survey software.

04.

Announce the awards

Announce awards during team or company-wide events. Public recognition is an important part of feeling appreciated, so don’t rush or skip over it. Give winners a trophy, high-quality certificate, or both. You can also include a gift card or company reward points alongside the award.

05.

Track and improve

Monitor participation and engagement in the awards. What worked well and what can be improved? Use insights to refine your awards and recognition strategy over time.

Build an Employee Recognition Programme That Works

Gifteo’s Employee Recognition Solution

Gifteo makes it easy to design and deliver meaningful employee recognition programs.
Whether you’re organising formal awards events or marking service achievements, we can help you build your people strategy. Gifteo helps you deliver staff recognition that’s timely, thoughtful, and impactful.

Automated award scheduling

Never miss a work anniversary or long service milestone with pre-set award dates (no need to rely on manual tracking).

Add extra value with rewards

Pair awards with gift cards or company points that can be redeemed for purchases or hotel stays.

Support both formal and informal awards

With internal communication tools that ensure award recipients get the public recognition and praise they deserve.

Centralised platform

Manage awards, recognition, rewards, engagement surveys, staff wellbeing, and more, all in one place.

Start now to retain your employees

See how Gifteo can improve your workplace. Get a personalized demo tailored to your company’s needs.

Boost employee motivation

Exclusive discounts to enhance your team’s purchasing power and daily engagement.

Improve talent retention

A robust reward and recognition program to value efforts and retain your top performers.

Strengthen your employer brand

A comprehensive benefits package to stand out in the competitive UK job market.

First name

Last name

Number of Employees

Company name

Zipcode

Phone number

Message

I agree that the group may process the data collected for use in the context of its missions.

By submitting this form, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Frequently asked questions

What is an example of an employee award?

Common employee award examples include ‘Employee of the Month’, ‘Leadership Award’, ‘Values Champion’, ‘Creativity Award’, and ‘Long Service Award’.

What is a good gift for employee service awards?

Popular gifts for long service awards are trophies, certificates, gift cards, engraved pens, or memorable experiences (like hotel stays).

What are informal awards for employees?

Informal awards are light-hearted recognitions like “Team Player of the Week” or “Most Helpful Colleague.” They help build morale, reinforce positive behaviours, and can be highlighted quickly and easily via departmental meetings, Microsoft Teams, or Slack channels.

Gifteo card

Last news